NSSDC Future and NASA/OSS Reorganization Intertwine

Volume 12, Number 1, March 1996
by Joseph King

Possible NSSDC "privatization" has been addressed in recent issues of the
NSSDC News. NSSDC was one of 11 groups NASA-wide studied by a NASA
committee headed by Dr. Al Diaz as candidates for new university-affiliated
institutes. The Diaz committee concluded that NSSDC did not fit its institute
model and suggested an NSSDC-specific group address NSSDC's future.

As a separate NASA development consistent with general federal and NASA
downsizing, NASA/Headquarters' Office of Space Science (OSS) is being
reorganized. OSS's Information Systems Office is NSSDC's sponsor. The
previously existing discipline-specific Astrophysics Division, Space Physics
Division, and Solar System Exploration Division, all of which sponsored
discipline data systems of varying natures and levels of maturity and which had
differing relations to NSSDC, are being largely merged into a single science
division.

Reporting to the NASA associate administrator for OSS will be a "Board of
Directors" (senior OSS officials) representing four themes: The Galaxy and the
Universe, Astronomical Search for Origins and Planetary Systems, Solar System
Exploration, and The Sun-Earth Connection. OSS will also have three
division-level organizations for Advanced Technology and Mission Studies,
Mission and Payload Development, and Research Program Management. Most of the
OSS program scientists will be in this latter division as will be the
responsibility for coordinating the OSS Data Management and Archiving Program.

To help define optimal approaches to the management of NASA science data in the
face of this OSS reorganization and downscaling and to define the future of
NSSDC as an important element of that data management, OSS has created an ad hoc
group of scientists across the OSS discipline domain and other potential data
users to make recommendations to OSS on the future of its data enterprise. This
group will be headed by Dr. Jeff Linsky of the University of Colorado and is
expected to deliver a report by about June 1996 based on a charter to do the
following:

Review the existing and planned space science data environment and provide
recommendations for the future architecture to enhance coordination of all
science data holdings, with improved access to data, improved tools for data
analysis and interpretation, and improved usage of data holdings by both the
research and education communities. ("Public access to science data assets" is
also a goal.)

Recommend which of NASA's space science data functions could be performed by
industry, academia, or other organizations.

Evaluate the options for the role of the NSSDC in the context of the above
recommendations.

It is expected that after the near-term activities of this ad hoc group, a more
permanent community-based group will be formed to advise OSS concerning its
information systems and data operations activities and to monitor the
implementation of recommendations of the initial ad hoc group.